Latest news with #ProfessionalTennisPlayersAssociation
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Vasek Pospisil retiring from tennis after a career that included a Wimbledon doubles title
TORONTO (AP) — Vasek Pospisil, who won a Wimbledon men's doubles title and helped Canada win the Davis Cup, will retire from tennis after playing in the Toronto tournament next week. 'Eighteen years of professional tennis. Looking forward to playing in front of you one last time in Toronto,' the 35-year-old Pospisil posted Monday on social media. Pospisil has been an advocate for players on the tours and joined with Novak Djokovic to form the Professional Tennis Players' Association, which filed a class-action lawsuit in federal court in New York against some of the groups running the sport. On the court, Pospisil paired with Jack Sock to earn a Wimbledon championship in 2014 and was part of the Canadian team that won the Davis Cup title in 2022. Pospisil reached career-high rankings of No. 4 in doubles and No. 25 in singles. The hard-court Masters event in Canada awarded Pospisil a wild-card entry. 'It's never easy making a decision like this,' he said. 'Tennis has been a huge part of my life, but it has become clear, both mentally and physically, that it's the right time to step away." ___ AP tennis:
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Vasek Pospisil retiring from tennis after a career that included a Wimbledon doubles title
TORONTO (AP) — Vasek Pospisil, who won a Wimbledon men's doubles title and helped Canada win the Davis Cup, will retire from tennis after playing in the Toronto tournament next week. 'Eighteen years of professional tennis. Looking forward to playing in front of you one last time in Toronto,' the 35-year-old Pospisil posted Monday on social media. Pospisil has been an advocate for players on the tours and joined with Novak Djokovic to form the Professional Tennis Players' Association, which filed a class-action lawsuit in federal court in New York against some of the groups running the sport. On the court, Pospisil paired with Jack Sock to earn a Wimbledon championship in 2014 and was part of the Canadian team that won the Davis Cup title in 2022. Pospisil reached career-high rankings of No. 4 in doubles and No. 25 in singles. The hard-court Masters event in Canada awarded Pospisil a wild-card entry. 'It's never easy making a decision like this,' he said. 'Tennis has been a huge part of my life, but it has become clear, both mentally and physically, that it's the right time to step away.' ___ AP tennis:
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Billionaire Hedge Fund Investor Bill Ackman Loses Pro Tennis Debut
It's not often that a pro tennis player spends time the day before their match re-posting on X about New York's mayoral race, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or Jeffrey Epstein—much less all three topics. But Bill Ackman is not your typical tennis pro. The 59-year-old hedge fund manager joined 32-year-old Jack Sock—a three-time Grand Slam winner—for this week's Hall of Fame Open doubles tournament in Newport, R.I., losing 6-1, 7-5 to Australians Omar Jasika and Bernard Tomic, a 32-year-old former world No. 17 singles player attempting another rise up the rankings. More from Alcaraz Outlasts Sinner to Win French Open, $2.9M in Prize Money Sponsors Back Sinner Despite Three-Month Doping Ban French Open Won't End American Men's Tennis Drought, McEnroe Says The tournament granted Sock and Ackman a wild-card entry. Ackman previously said Sock would be able to keep the reported $2,030 in prize money that would accompany a win. The duo that wins Sunday's championship match will receive $9,900. The grass-court tournament is an ATP Challenge Tour-level event this year after being played as an ATP 250 contest previously. Ackman is no stranger to the world of pro tennis, even if he made his ATP-level debut at just shy of 60. He is one of the key backers behind a tennis players trade association—and the board chair for the Professional Tennis Players Association's for-profit arm—and has also financially supported individual prospects, including Frances Tiafoe. 'I have had a lifelong passion for tennis, both as a player and a fan, but have long recognized the challenges that most professional tennis players experience due to the sport's inferior economics for all but the very top of the rankings ladder,' Ackman said in 2023. Ackman eyed competing alongside Nick Kyrgios earlier this year, though injuries to the Australian derailed those plans. Every tournament reserves a few wild card slots, which are are frequently given to relatively big names interested in competing, though controversy has arisen when relatives of other players or those with commercial connections to events are let in over higher-ranked alternatives. Sock's last pro match had been in 2023; he has since focused on podcasting and pickleball. Ackman played tennis in high school at Horace Greeley but did not play in college, focusing on crew instead. Since then, primarily as the founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, he has developed a net worth of $9.4 billion, according to Forbes. He reportedly previously paid $100,000 to play in a charity doubles match against John McEnroe, one of multiple overlaps between his philanthropic efforts and the sport. He recently played in the Finance Cup tournament at Newport's International Tennis Hall of Fame, making the semifinals with 1987 ATP Newcomer of the Year—and current global co-head of investor relations and marketing for Taconic Capital—Richey Reneberg. 'I am playing the best tennis of my life,' Ackman posted on X afterwards. The Rhode Island location was the original home of what is now the U.S. Open tournament, dating back to 1881. The museum was established in 1954. Ackman and his Pershing Square Foundation are members of the Hall of Fame's 'Founder's Circle,' an honor given to 'philanthropic leaders whose passion and devotion have preserved and sustained this historic property and institution.' Ackman showed up for the match in an all-white Nike get-up; Pershing has invested in the sporting good giant, with Ackman supporting new CEO Elliott Hill. Ackman has been increasingly outspoken on social and political issues on X, endorsing Donald Trump in 2024. He has 1.8 million followers on the platform, more than Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner combined. Ackman has been particularly vocal about NYC's mayoral race, offering to fund a centrist alternative to recent Democratic primary winner Zohran Mamdani. Best of Panthers Win Second Stanley Cup Under Owner Vincent Viola Top 50 Highest-Paid Athletes of All Time Highest-Paid Athletes in the World: Full List
USA Today
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Billionaire playing in ATP tournament makes mockery of pro tennis
Despite its roots as a recreational pursuit of the elite, modern-day tennis is about as close to a meritocracy as you'll find in professional sports. Whether it's Wimbledon or the lowest-rung tournament in tennis' minor leagues, there aren't any shortcuts to getting in. You qualify based on accomplishment. You can only advance to the next level by winning. You eat what you kill. You get what you deserve. And you are what your ranking says you are. Unless, of course, you're billionaire hedge fund guy Bill Ackman. On Wednesday afternoon, the 59-year old founder of Pershing Square Capital Management will suit up at the Hall of Fame Open in Newport, Rhode Island, indulging his sports fantasy while making a mockery of the tournament and the ATP Challenger Tour where players strive to eke out a living. "I am playing the best tennis of my life," Ackman wrote last week on X, where he posts frequently about politics and is often far-too-eager to embrace ridiculous conspiracy theories. Including the idea that he belongs in a pro tennis event. Ackman's enthusiasm for tennis is indisputable. He's a bit of a gadfly on tour, befriending several players and helping bankroll the Professional Tennis Players Association when it was launched in 2019 by Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil. He says he practices nearly every day, seems to be in good shape for a 59-year old and, because of his access to top players, has found himself on the other side of the net from all-time greats like Roger Federer in informal hitting sessions. And still, there is no deeper story to what's happening in Newport this week other than exactly what it looks like: A wealthy tennis benefactor who started playing seriously a decade ago using his privilege to say he competed in a pro tour event. We can be honest about how gross that is – both in Ackman's desire to make it happen and the ATP's willingness to humor him. How did it happen? According to Ackman's social media posts, former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios had proposed playing doubles together at one point, but ongoing injury issues delayed their partnership indefinitely. "Fortunately fate intervened," Ackman wrote. Of course, it's not fate. It's simply the privilege of being Bill Ackman. Let's explain. Even though entrants for every tournament on the ATP or Challenger Tour level must meet a rankings threshold or earn a spot through a qualifying event, every tournament reserves a handful of wildcards that can be given out at its discretion. The wildcard system isn't perfect and sometimes creates controversy, but in general they're used for reasonable purposes: An accomplished player who lost their ranking due to injury and is trying to come back, an up-and-coming star with local ties, a highly-ranked player who didn't enter initially but decided to play at the last minute. The Newport event, which was downgraded from ATP-level to a Challenger tournament this year, gave the wildcard in doubles to Jack Sock on the basis of being a former champion of the tournament and one of the most accomplished doubles players of the last decade. There's just one little issue: Sock, 32, is a pickleball player and podcaster now. His last professional tennis match was at the U.S. Open in 2023, and there is no indication that he's planning a comeback. Also interesting: In an interview with Front Office Sports last week, Ackman said he had never even met Sock but that they were going to begin practicing together last weekend. So Sock – out of the blue, apparently – requested a wildcard from Newport even though his tennis career has long been over. The tournament granted it, and Sock listed Ackman as his doubles partner. Which, again, the tournament allowed even though you can't find results on Ackman in any of the public tennis databases kept by the USTA or Universal Tennis Rating (UTR). Why was Ackman approved to compete? One truly wonders – unless, of course, you know how the world works. But that's not how tennis is supposed to work. Look, it's not the end of the world. While technically the Ackman-Sock wildcard could have gone to a legitimate team that needed the opportunity rather than a sideshow, nobody's career is going to hinge on missing the cut for the doubles draw at the Newport Challenger. But this isn't a golf pro-am. It's the real thing. And as long as we have pro sports, you'd like them to be played by professionals and not exist for the whims of potential benefactors who have a ton of money and a delusion about how good they are at playing tennis. It's a bad look, and it certainly doesn't help the image of a sport that does not necessarily deserve its country club reputation. While some top-ranked players came from privilege, it's not really that different from most other sports. The top two men's players, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, both emerged from middle class backgrounds. Djokovic grew up flat-out poor in a war-torn country. Coco Gauff started on the public courts in Delray Beach, Florida, inspired by Serena and Venus Williams' rise from Compton, California, to the top of the sport. And even for those who had advantages like Jessica Pegula, whose parents own the Buffalo Bills, there's no faking it in tennis. You have to win the right matches to establish your ranking, which gets you in the right tournaments, which only allows you to maintain that privilege if you keep winning. You can't use your social media fame or friendships or wealth to buy your way onto the pro tour. Unless, apparently, you're Bill Ackman.
Leader Live
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Leader Live
Dan Evans wins battle of Britain to set up likely clash with Novak Djokovic
The 35-year-old picked up his first win in SW19 since 2021 with a 6-1 7-5 6-2 success over fellow wild card Clarke. Evans has endured a tough year on the court and slipped down the rankings to outside the top 150. Dan Evans charges into round two at Wimbledon!!! 👊 He comes out on top in this all-British first round battle#BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 | #Wimbledon — LTA (@the_LTA) July 1, 2025 But he raced away with the first set, overhauled an early break to claim the second and wrapped up a handy victory in two hours and 14 minutes. He celebrated the win wildly, and afterwards admitted: 'It was amazing. 'Really unfortunate to have to play Jay, two lads from the midlands, I've known him since he was really small. I'm just delighted to come through it.' Evans is one of a handful of active players to hold a winning record against Djokovic, having beaten the 24-time grand slam champion in their only previous meeting in Monte Carlo in 2021. The Serbian faces Frenchman Alexandre Muller later on Tuesday. 'I'd love it to be on Centre, to get a chance to play him,' added Evans. 'He's at the latter end of his career and I'd go out there and give it a really good go. It would be special in England to play the greatest of all time.' Derby pro Clarke found himself in the awkward position of having to explain to Wimbledon chiefs why he was originally named as a plaintiff in a case which has pitted the Professional Tennis Players Association, a body co-founded by Djokovic, against tennis' governing bodies. The 26-year-old world number 199, who decided to take his name off the lawsuit, was still granted a wild card for a fifth time and will earn £66,000 for his appearance.
